Pages

Thursday, 7 April 2016

My Tips For Coping With The Bad Days: Depression

Depression.

It's something that has haunted us all at one point or the other. It's haunted me more times than I'd like to admit. And it's hard. It's so hard to beat. You might be past it, you might have it, or you may be facing it in the future. It's not something you can just 'get over.' It takes time and patience, patience with yourself mostly. It's those days that are the hardest to me. You know what ones I mean. The ones where the day is awful before you've even opened your eyes. We all get them.
I am not a professional in any way shape or form, but I have suffered myself and I still have my down days. These following tips are things I have learned through trial and error and by looking back at my experiences. Most of these are probably easy to guess, but when you're in a dark place, it can be hard to remember to try to give these things a chance. You can think 'what's the point?' and dismiss it immediately. Don't. Slow down and try something on this list, even if it's only once. And please, if you don't think you can do it on your own, tell someone. Don't think you have to be alone.

If you don't have someone to tell or if you're scared, tell me. I know it can be easier to tell someone online because you can't see them or their reaction. You can talk to me in the comments or in the contact form to the right or even on my Facebook that's linked. Don't be alone.

Most of these tips are linked to each other and these things are things I know help me but different things work for different people. Without further ado, here are my tips for depression and those dark days:

- Be patient. This isn't something you can get over in one night. You are going to have to be very patient with yourself and understand that this takes time. Understand that this is a long process and take your time.

- Be kind to yourself. Are you having a really bad day before you're even out of bed? Relax. Did you know that when we don't feel well mentally, our body starts to be in physical pain to tell us to stop and take some time out? It can be a headache, or nausea or anything. Be understanding towards yourself and take an easy day. Do things you enjoy, have a bath, watch Netflix, make a cake, anything you enjoy. I know not all things you enjoy can help, but try something. Worse comes to worse, lie down and read a book or watch a film. Treat yourself and be patient.

- Appreciate the little things. Go outside and look at the world. It's amazing. Plants grow, flowers blossom and the sky moves. Look at someone stopping to pet a stray cat and think of how kind that is. The world can be a dark place, but it has its beautiful moments. Look for those. Appreciate the little moments. Appreciate your loved ones. Appreciate the world. The simplest things can relieve a little bit of your mood. Just look for it.

- Talk to someone. Whether it's a friend, or family or a stranger on the internet. You are not alone. Be honest about how you feel and listen to the other person. If none of that appeals to you, talk to me. You can Facebook me here, you can leave a comment, you can send me an email using the contact form, I will listen and I won't judge. If talking to someone doesn't work, that's okay. Try again tomorrow or whenever you're ready to.

- Breathe. Stop what you're doing and remind yourself to breathe. Deep breathing can help too. Meditation can tie into this tip but it's not something I've tried properly. Take five minutes and just focus on your breathing. It will help.

- Have a hot bath or shower. A bath is preferable to me, there's more option to relax with candles, bubbles and a book. But regardless, that feeling of hot water and cleaning yourself can be so beneficial to your mental health and physical!

- Eat your favourite food. Don't binge eat, but eat something you know you love and enjoy. As previously said, it's all about patience and being kind to yourself. So go ahead and eat your comfort food, it's about making you feel better.

- Bake a cake. It sounds weird but bear with me. Baking has pulled me out of many dark days. There's something about making something delicious out of almost nothing that really lifts my mood. Find a recipe online or find a baking packet in your local shop, and then after, you can eat the goodies or share them out and soak up the good feeling.

- Get a hug. Hugs are proven to relieve stress levels after 11 seconds, and failing that, hugs always make you feel better anyway. They're safe, cosy and warm. What's not to like?

- Eat something healthy. The vitamin boost can help you greatly, failing that, take a multivitamin. The extra vitamins are going to do so much for helping your mental state and body feel better.

- Drink water too. Sugar is going to slow you down and make you feel even more sluggish. If you struggle with water, add some dilution juice to flavour it a bit, it's still better than fizzy juice.

- Have a clear out. Got a box of junk in the cupboard? Go through it. Clearing out and reorganising can be a great distraction and be very productive. Cluttered areas promote bad mental health and sleeping problems so do something productive and get it sorted. Chances are you'll feel better in some way after clearing it out, and you might want to continue.

- Go back to bed. None of these helping? Go back to bed with a hot water bottle and Netflix. Your bed is your comfort zone, it's basically your recharging zone. Many websites tell you to stay out of bed but I know that if you're having an awful day, bed can be just thing you need. It's safe, warm and comfortable. Go ignore the world and just relax.

These are just a few of the things that help me but I feel like everyone forgets them when they're having a bad day. Try a few if you want to and please seek further help if you can't manage on your own.

Remember one thing.

You're not alone.

Let me know what you do on your bad days in the comments below and talk to me if you need to talk to someone. Please remember to share on your social media and leave a comment below!

13 comments:

There's loads of good points in there that promote a healthy wellbeing which can help if you are having a bad day. I would also add exercise as a good way to overcome bad days of you can find the motivation. Jogging, swimming, even long walks can help. Good read!

This is such good advice, being kind to yourself and talking it through are two that resonate with me very much. Thank you for taking the time to write this as posts like this are so important for people looking for help in their time of need. x

Thank you so much for sharing this. I have bookmarked this - for my bad days. I have them . They come like they go. Suddenly. Over the years I have talked about my depression more openly and while many don't understand, just as many have supported me and helped me deal with it.